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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6875
January Session, 2023
AN ACT CONCERNING THE ISSUANCE OF AN IDENTITY CARD OR
MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR'S LICENSE TO A PERSON BEING
DISCHARGED FROM A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 18-81ff of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 2
(a) The Commissioners of Correction and Motor Vehicles shall [, 3
within available appropriations,] ensure that [an inmate] a person who 4
is incarcerated possesses [a state identification] an identity card issued 5
pursuant to section 1-1h or a motor vehicle operator's license issued 6
pursuant to chapter 246 at the time such [inmate] person is released 7
from a correctional facility after serving any part of a term of 8
imprisonment for a misdemeanor or felony conviction, [provided any 9
such inmate (1) requests and qualifies for such identification card or 10
license, and (2) pays any fee associated with obtaining such 11
identification card or license.] unless such person indicates, in writing, 12
on a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Correction, that such 13
person does not wish to obtain such card or license. 14
(b) In order to effectuate the provisions of subsection (a) of this 15
section, at the time a person is committed to the custody of the 16
Commissioner of Correction, who, in consultation and collaboration 17
with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, shall ascertain (1) whether 18 Substitute Bill No. 6875
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the person has been issued a valid identity card pursuant to section 1-19
1h or motor vehicle operator's license pursuant to chapter 246, and (2) if 20
such card or license has been issued, the date upon which such card or 21
license is to expire. 22
(c) For any person who is incarcerated who wishes to obtain an initial 23
identity card issued pursuant to section 1-1h or a motor vehicle 24
operator's license issued pursuant to chapter 246, or renew such card or 25
license, or obtain a duplicate card or license if the original card or license 26
has been lost, the Commissioner of Correction, in consultation and 27
collaboration with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, shall: 28
(1) (A) Not later than twenty-four months prior to the date on which 29
such person is to be discharged from the correctional facility, determine 30
the documentation such person requires to obtain such card or license; 31
and (B) facilitate the process that allows such person to expeditiously 32
obtain the required documentation by providing access to any forms, 33
fees, fee waivers, notary services, and mailing-related needs, to secure 34
the required documentation. For any person sentenced to a term of life 35
imprisonment, the Commissioner of Correction shall begin the process 36
described in this subdivision not later than twenty-four months prior to 37
the person's earliest date of eligibility for parole, and immediately begin 38
the process for any person whose sentence is reduced and the reduced 39
sentence results in a date of discharge within twenty-four months or 40
who is otherwise scheduled to be released with a date of discharge 41
within twenty-four months; 42
(2) Not later than thirteen months prior to the date on which such 43
person is to be discharged from the correctional facility, initiate a 44
process that allows such person to expeditiously obtain any additionally 45
required documentation or photographs by providing (A) access to any 46
forms, fees, fee waivers, notary services, and mailing-related needs, to 47
secure the required documentation, and (B) a means by which to obtain 48
the required photographs. For any person sentenced to a term of life 49
imprisonment, the Commissioner of Correction shall begin the process 50
described in this subdivision not later than thirteen months prior to the 51 Substitute Bill No. 6875
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person's earliest date of eligibility for parole, and immediately begin the 52
process for any person whose sentence is reduced and the reduced 53
sentence results in a date of discharge within thirteen months or who is 54
otherwise scheduled to be released with a date of discharge within 55
thirteen months; and 56
(3) Make any required licensing examination available to a person 57
seeking to obtain a motor vehicle operator's license issued pursuant to 58
chapter 246, except the provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to 59
any required road test administered by the Department of Motor 60
Vehicles. 61
(d) At the time a person is released from a correctional facility, the 62
Commissioner of Correction shall provide an identity card issued 63
pursuant to section 1-1h or a motor vehicle operator's license issued 64
pursuant to chapter 246 to any person who has successfully obtained 65
such card or license pursuant to the provisions of this section. 66
(e) Not later than July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the 67
Commissioner of Correction shall report, in accordance with the 68
provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the 69
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary 70
on: 71
(1) The total number of formerly incarcerated persons who were 72
issued original, renewal or duplicate identity cards pursuant to section 73
1-1h, and original, renewal or duplicate motor vehicle operator's 74
licenses issued pursuant to chapter 246, disaggregated by card and 75
license type, and licensing examinations disaggregated by license type; 76
(2) The total number of identification cards and motor vehicle 77
operator's licenses issued to such persons by each individual state 78
correctional facility; and 79
(3) Any issues encountered by the Department of Correction in 80
implementing the provisions of this section along with 81
recommendations for the resolution of such issues and any 82 Substitute Bill No. 6875
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recommended enhancements to the provisions of this section. 83
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2023 18-81ff
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Subsec. (a), "a state identification card" was replaced with "an identity
card" for accuracy; in Subsec. (b), "care and custody of the Department
of Correction" was replaced with "custody of the Commissioner of
Correction" for conformity with the general statutes; in Subsec. (c),
language was clarified concerning persons being released earlier than
the proposed timeline in Subdivs. (1) and (2); and in Subsec. (e), "to the
joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to the judiciary" was added for clarity.
JUD Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO